Kejriwal withdraws plea against order sending him to jail

Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Tuesday withdrew his plea from the Delhi High Court challenging a trial court order that sent him to jail in a defamation case filed by union Minister Nitin Gadkari.

"I want to withdraw the case," said counsel appearing for Kejriwal to a division bench of Justice Sanjiv Khanna and Justice Ashutosh Kumar, which allowed him to do so.

Gadkari filed a criminal defamation case against Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) chief Kejriwal after his party named Gadkari in a list of allegedly "India's most corrupt" politicians in the run-up to the 2014 general elections.

A trial court in May last year sent Kejriwal to judicial custody for not furnishing a bail bond.

Kejriwal had refused to furnish a bail bond, saying it was not mandatory and that he should have been allowed to give a written undertaking instead. He then approached the high court.

However, on the high court's suggestion, he sought bail from the lower court.

The bench at an earlier hearing said that now there is nothing left in the matter before the high court as Kejriwal has already furnished his bail bond in the case. It asked AAP's counsel whether the chief minister is "still interested in pursuing the case".

Kejriwal's counsel then told the court that he has "not yet decided".

In his plea in the high court, Kejriwal had asked whether it is correct to seek bail bonds and sureties from people who are summoned by courts on complaints filed in cases such as criminal defamation.